Extra ambulance staff brought in to cover Tour de France strike

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust Chief Executive David Whiting

Sam Cooper

Contingency plans including extra ambulance staff on bikes will ensure a safe and responsive service during the Tour de France weekend, Yorkshire Ambulance Service has said.

The pledge comes despite a decision by some YAS workers to strike just as hundreds of thousands of spectators prepare to descend on the county.

Last Thursday, members of the union Unite voted by 84 per cent to strike between 6am and midnight on Saturday July 5 and from 6pm to 10pm on Sunday July 6.

But YAS insists plans are in place to “provide responsive, effective and safe services” for patients during the weekend.

Chief executive David Whiting said he hoped Unite members would honour any commitments they have made to work.

Unite regional officer Terry Cunliffe said the union had reached out to Mr Whiting for “peace talks” in the hope of resolving their concerns, which centre on a long-running dispute over patient safety and staffing issues, but had not had a response.

He said: “We are very disappointed that we have been forced into taking action.”

The trust has increased the number of its Life Cycles, motorbikes and vehicles on the road this weekend, and extra staff will be manning the NHS 111 service.

An additional air ambulance staffed with a YAS doctor and clinical team, has also been provided to help reach patients.